Description

The A6M3 Reisen mod. 22 is a rank III Japanese fighter
with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB) and 4.0 (RB/SB). This aircraft has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.29.

If you have come this far into the Japanese tech tree playing the Zero's, you should already know that this plane is all about turn fighting. the Reisen mod 22 A6M3 is a rank 3 fighter having come after the A6M3 in the tech tree and plays very closely to its previous version. The only main difference is speed, camouflage and the cannons which are now Mk 2 having replaced the AP round with AP-I, making it much easier to score hits and kills.

The A6M3 line of planes is a very unique set of planes getting better and better as they go on. This modification (or Mod 22) features a better engine, turn rate, energy retention and a green camouflage instead of the off coloured yellow, cream colour camouflage on the other zero's before.

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics

Stock

Max Speed(km/h at 6,000 m)

Max altitude(meters)

Turn time(seconds)

Rate of climb(meters/second)

Take-off run(meters)

AB

RB

AB

RB

AB

RB

519

507

11 050

16.1

16.6

8.0

10.2

288

Upgraded

Max Speed(km/h at 6,000 m)

Max altitude (meters)

Turn time (seconds)

Rate of climb(meters/second)

Take-off run (meters)

AB

RB

AB

RB

AB

RB

?

?

11 050

??.?

??.?

??.?

??.?

288

Details

Features

Combat flap

Take-off flap

Landing flap

Air brakes

Arrestor gear

✓

✓

✓

X

X

Limits

Wing-break speed(km/h)

Gear limit(km/h)

Combat flap (km/h)

Max Static G

+

-

703

240

420

~20

~9

Optimal velocities

Ailerons(km/h)

Rudder(km/h)

Elevators(km/h)

Radiator(km/h)

< 310

< 420

< 410

> 260

Compressor (RB/SB)

Setting 1

Optimal altitude

100% Engine power

WEP Engine power

2,500 m

1,095 hp

1,213 hp

Setting 2

Optimal altitude

100% Engine power

WEP Engine power

5,000 m

965 hp

1,069 hp

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Suspended armament

Usage in battles

The Zero's are a pure air defence fighter. Not like the German Do 217's, or the Russian Pe-2 and 3's. the Zero is a defensive fighter and an air defence fighter in many respects, as playing aggressive will get you killed fast.

If you happen to run up against an A6M3, if the Zero wants to head you on, do not shy away and simply fire for a minimum of 1-3 seconds before diving down, rolling and legging it to Boom & Zoom him for the rest of the battle as if you get a direct hit to the engine, even if it's a hit it will cause massive problems for the pilot as the Zero's engine is a fragile thing that can easily be annoyed. Turn fighting is out of the question as Spitfires, Yak-3's even the captured Japanese planes will struggle at trying to keep a solid turn fight with this plane due to the engine upgrades and improved turn radius at the expense of its Roll rate which will not affect you heavily as you will be mainly turning all day long.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements

Mixer

Pitch

Radiator

Supercharger

Turbocharger

Oil

Water

Type

Controllable

Not controllable

Not controllable

Not controllable

Separate

Not controllable

Not controllable

Modules

Tier

Flight performance

Survivability

Weaponry

I

Fuselage Repair

Radiator

Offensive 7 mm

II

Compressor

Airframe

New 7 mm MGs

9 in (mod30)

III

Wings Repair

Engine

Offensive 20 mm

IV

Engine Injection

Cover

New 20 mm Cannons

Pros and cons

Pros:

Rounded wing tips of the A6M2 provide better turn-rate

Superior cannons than predecessors; Type 99 Mark 2

Cons:

Worse roll rate than A6M3

History

The A6M3 Reisen mod. 22 was actually developed before the A6M3 Reisen. Due to the demand for a squared wing version the aircraft's production was delayed. The IJNAF needed a solution to the loss of range by the A6M3 Reisen. The Sakae 21 engine was kept and the aircraft's fuel was increased by 24 gallons. The mod. 22 had the greatest range of the variants. It arrived in time for Guadalcanal in August of 1942.

In-game description

In April of 1942, a new A6M model fighter was launched. The main difference between the A6M3 model 32 and the A6M2 Model 21 was the new Sakae 21 engine (1130 hp), which had a two-stage supercharger making it more stable at higher altitudes and a propeller diameter of 3.05 m (150 mm greater than that of its predecessor). The engine was much heavier and longer than those used in previous models, so to prevent displacement of the centre of gravity the engine was moved closer to the cockpit and the main fuel tank’s capacity was reduced from 518 to 470 litres.

Also, the folding wingtips were removed, which increased the plane’s dive speed limit but reduced its manoeuvrability and range. The latter side effect was particularly important as it made it impossible to use the A6M3 effectively during the 1942 campaign in the Solomon Islands. The 20-mm guns were replaced by Type 99-I model 3s, and their ammunition was increased to 100 rounds. Also, the aircraft could carry two 60-kg bombs.